Wednesday, May 26, 2010

Reflections of a Grocery Store Cashier

As most of you know, I have been a grocery store cashier for a very long time. I only work summers, but I am starting my fourth summer working at a grocery store. What I didn't realize when I started working there was that 1) Everyone needs food, so 2) I could learn a lot about people in this job. I have made a little list of a few of those observations.
  • the world is addicted to soda and gum
  • anyone can be a parent, but not everyone should
  • talking slower and in an accent doesn't mean that non-English speakers will understand me
  • often people expect people ahead of them in line to be speedy, only to take their sweet time when they are in front of others
  • kids love candy beyond comprehension
  • the world encourages everyone to be healthy, eat deliciously, and spend wisely, which all often contradict
  • too many married women/mothers lose their sense of self because they have to constantly think of others
  • living with no windows can either make the whole world dark, or everything bright with imagination of what could be out there
  • money is dirty. literally.
  • if you are constantly longing for your current task to be over, you still won't be completely happy when it is
  • people are naturally selfish, and only the truly awesome people overcome it
  • the way your cashier treats you is very dependent on how you treat them - rude customers rarely find cashiers to be friendly people
  • to every generalization there is some truth, and some lie. That is why they are called generalizations.
  • people love to have someone to confide in who they won't ever see again - cashiers know many secrets
  • children grow up to be a lot like their parents, which can definitely drive a parent crazy.
  • verballized compliments are the only ones worth anything
I know it doesn't sound like anything you didn't already know, but I wish you could see what I am actually trying to say from the standpoint of a cashier. I wish you could all try it out for a day to see the world how we cashiers see it. It is really interesting.

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